At home, I’m the go-to parent for making art, and morning cuddles, and reading books. But when it comes to fun things—like movies and field trips, and singing and dancing, and weekends and board games—their Daddy is undoubtedly the crowd favorite! (Two’s a crowd, y’all!)
‘Can’t blame the girls. Their Daddy sure is fun!!
Shout out to my husband for being as hands-on as he can, on top of working so hard to provide and lead this family. Raising daughters, we’re fully aware that little girls are naturally drawn to their daddies in a way that shapes many aspects of their development, from childhood through womanhood. (I should know! I was raised by a remarkable father.)
I’m grateful to have a husband who takes this responsibility seriously; who would do everything in his power to be fully present in his daughters’ young lives and to give them happy memories.
So you can just imagine Dawn and Rain looking forward to the weekends, usually in anticipation of what their Daddy planned out for us. And almost always, he does not disappoint! :)
Studies consistently prove that spending quality time as a family has infinite benefits.
For kids, family activities allow them to establish self-worth, communicate better, and develop relationship building skills. For parents, spending quality time together is an effective way to create core memories and impart valuable life lessons that kids and parents!) will potentially carry with them throughout their lives.
It’s always a challenge for us working moms and dads to carve out time during the weekends, especially when sometimes all you want to do is to shut down. But the effort to make time is definitely worth it! When kids feel loved, appreciated, and valued, they also develop positive behaviors like kindness and cooperation. And when they do, it results in us being happier parents as well.
The above photos show a normal Saturday morning scenario at home—messy hair, game faces on, board game and caramel bars for breakfast (in bed!), and little girls all ready to battle their Daddy!
Meanwhile, I watch my family as I hold on to my camera, trying to preserve these fleeting moments in photographs, fully aware of how fast they all go by. The best years, for sure.
Thank you, Lemon Square Fun Square, for making weekends all the more fun and memorable.
This story is written for Lemon Square. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Do you know how it’s like when it dawns on you that you lost an enormous amount of digital files, namely, photographs from the first 5 years of your daughters’ lives? You don’t?
I’ll tell you how.
First, it would feel like a pail of cold water was dumped over your head. You’d spend hours in front of your computer, digging into a pile of old CDs and external hard disks, and you’d go through them many times over in hopes that you just missed a folder somewhere.
You would fight with your husband because it should be his job to keep those files safe. He would argue that he expected YOU to keep those files safe. Shortly you’d both realize you have to stop pointing fingers and you need to stay united through this, um, tragedy. >.<
In other words, it was quite intense!
I didn’t realize I would have so many feelings about losing photographs. I mean, how could we not have kept a backup somewhere? Those files have got to be somewhere in the “cloud”, right? We are millennials, after all, no matter how far into the older end of the spectrum we are.
The silver lining, of course, is yes, somehow we’ve got our devices synced into the cloud. When the twins were younger we posted so much about them on social media. My husband had a Google drive that synced into his gadgets, which automatically backed up his files. And I, meanwhile, dumped a lot of those photos on this blog. (I mean, remember that52-week Challenge?)
It goes without saying, of course, that we had more photographs in those lost folders than the ones that made it to the internet. It seems that the raw files are gone forever, and now, we have to, little by little, gather copies of these images from everywhere in the web, organize them, and build up a new repository of memories.
And this is why we really should start printing photographs! All of us, parents! Stat!!
This is why we sometimes have to resort to social media to timestamp memories. (Because who doesn’t want to see those “on this day” posts on your Facebook feed?)
This is why we blog those stories we want the web to remember forever.
And this is why this blog is going back to its roots of simply being a documentation of life. (More about this another time.)
PS. The above photographs were from a few Sundays ago, right after church. Nothing much really, just one of those days I remembered to capture the moment. To remind me that anywhere with these three is home.
PPS. Have you seen The Purpose Blog yet? It’s live, and if you subscribed to my list, you’d know by now what this new blog project is all about. Go ahead, take a look!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here!
I’m still pretty high from reading the The Magnolia Story, a book about Joanna and Chip Gaines, an extraordinary husband-and-wife tandem from Waco Texas who relentlessly pursued their passions and built a homegrown brand that is now widely known around the world.
But the book is not just about the success of their passionate pursuits. It’s also a story of their journey as husband, wife, and business partners. Although it’s unlikely that you have not heard of them, I’ll give a quick backgrounder just the same. (Go ahead and scroll a few paragraphs down if you already know who the Gaines are!)
Buy The Magnolia Story Book
The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together.
From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.
This book is perfect for creatives, aspiring entrepreneurs, home makers, and husbands, and wives.
Chip and Joanna rose to fame in Fixer Upper, an HGTV reality show where they remodel dilapidated fixer uppers in Central Texas, bringing out their original southern charm, and turning them into their clients’ dream homes. They call their business “Magnolia Homes” where Chip manages the construction and realty side and Joanna takes the lead designer role.
Today, Fixer Upper is on its fifth season, and the Magnolia empire has also branched out to several sub-brands:
The Magnolia Market, a home décor shop that sells curated products from various artisans around the globe, and Joanna’s own line of home decors, rugs, and paint.
The Magnolia Silos, a family-friendly shopping complex that has instantly turned Waco Texas a tourist spot.
The Silos Baking Co, a bakery that sells home baked goods.
The Magnolia Journal, a quarterly home and lifestyle publication.
The Magnolia House, a boutique bed and breakfast you can book while you’re in Waco.
Chip and Joanna Gaines have been uniquely blessed with a huge platform to launch these massively successful businesses, and last year they generously shared details of their journey through their first book, The Magnolia Story.
There’s much to pick up, really, but I took note of some important lessons about marriage, family, faith, and pursuing passions. Here they are:
1. Every season has a purpose in our story.
We see or read about Chip and Joanna’s massive success today, but what we don’t see online or on TV are the years of struggle and hard work—including the big and small failures—that allowed them to mature as business owners and home makers.
The book talked all about these details, and as a parent myself, I’m particularly inspired by how they embraced their seasons and knew how to make the most of them.
When they were newlyweds, they hustled hard and put in a lot of hours flipping houses. Since Jo didn’t have past experience in real estate or interior design, she made the most out of this season to develop her skills, grow her portfolio, and learn the ins and outs of the business.
Before they had kids, Chip encouraged Jo to pursue her dream of opening a boutique home décor shop. Not having kids yet, she invested her time learning about business management and nurturing her passion for designing homes.
When they had 2 kids, they decided to close the shop so that Jo can focus on the children. Sounds familiar, mommies? She knew that it was her season for raising kids and while it was hard for her to close up shop, she knew that her dreams can wait and setting it aside was temporary. Investing on her kids while they’re still young, however, can’t.
By the time Fixer Upper hit the TV screens (eventually becoming a hit!), Chip and Jo and their family are ready. They have 4 young kids but by this time they’ve already built a well-oiled business empire.
As their TV show makes its fifth season, the power couple just continues to roll with new ideas to expand their market. I’m guessing they know that Fixer Upper will not last forever, and they’re making the most out of this season, while they can.
It’s a season to reap the harvest of the seeds they’ve planted, and they don’t seem to show any signs of slowing down.
I reckon it’s a combination of God’s grace and favor, obedience and hard work, and a clear understanding of their seasons in life that makes it all work out of Chip and Jo.
They’re always ones to say that family is their first priority, and in this season of raising young children, they know enough that everything else comes secondary to their ultimate calling as parents.
2. Never underestimate the power of a loving marriage and a harmonious family life.
One of the things that make Fixer Upper such a hit is the chemistry between Chip and Jo. Chip’s funny and manly antics, Joanna’s smart and intuitive ways, and the way their personalities and unique strengths complement so well—makes them very relatable, adorable, and inspiring to watch. In the words of millennials, these two are #relationshipgoals in every way.
But more than their on-screen and real life chemistry, Chip and Jo would constantly testify about how they motivate each other to pursue their crazy ideas and become better versions of themselves.
When Jo was younger she would write down her dreams and ideas in her steno notebook but was too hesitant to pursue them because she constantly calculated the risks. Sounds familiar, y’all? Chip, on the other hand, who’s more of a risk taker and has a bit more experience in business, pushed Jo to pursue her passions.
In the same way, Jo keeps Chip grounded. She supports him in his adventures, bails him (quite literally, it seems) when she needs to, and tackles the nitty gritties of his big crazy ideas. They’re constantly inspired by each other, which I believe is one of the keys to their success.
I think this is very relevant today, a time where raising a family is usually seen as something that gets in the way of chasing dreams. Some of us has to set aside our careers to raise our family, or maybe shelve our dream business ideas in exchange for a more stable and secured job.
Family and career is always a tough one to balance, and watching Chip and Jo navigate through this tension shows us that it is possible to thrive in both without sacrificing one or the other.
And then of course there’s the love and support of the extended family, which is also evident in Jo and Chip’s life story. Although not everyone gets to have supportive families and in-laws like they do, you know that it’s always an extra boost of encouragement when you have your entire village on the journey with you.
3. Wives don’t always “have to be in the kitchen.” In fact, wives are naturally great business women. ;)
Although Jo does love being in the kitchen a lot, too!
I’m saying this with full acknowledgement that yes, as homemakers, family should always be a priority for us women. I reckon Jo knew this when she closed her shop in 2006 to raise her young kids.
But what I love about Chip is how he didn’t (and wouldn’t!) contain Jo within the bounds of homemaking; instead, he pushed her to her maximum potential and allowed her to shine both inside and outside of the home.
Fixer Upper viewers would know when Chip would instinctively step back and not get in the way of Jo when she’s doing what she does best. While Chip has his own important role in building the Magnolia empire, we do see Jo’s brilliance and very distinct touch in every Magnolia project.
As I mentioned above, they seem to have mastered how to play by each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and use these to accomplish what has to be done.
I think it says a lot about the husbands when their wives bloom and thrive, so I’ve got to hand this one to Chip!
More so, as someone who believes that God designed marriage as a sacred and life-long covenant, I find it really inspiring to see this couple totally live up to the biblical design of marriage. When you love and respect each other and you submit to one another in obedience to God, this mutual love, respect, and submission trickles down to every aspect of your life.
IMO, this is as practical as it is spiritual.
Because when you know there’s mutual love and respect, support for each other’s dreams, and acknowledgement of each other’s roles, weaknesses, and strengths—it helps you become more motivated and effective as a partner. You find that standing by each other’s decisions, being more forgiving of each other’s mistakes, celebrating each other’s victories, and getting through hurdles become more natural than obligatory.
Chip and Jo talked about this in a video I found last year. In this clip they talked about how, they don’t only complement and balance each other out, they also push each other out of their comfort zones and live out what God created them to be.
I say, this is a must-watch for married couples, both young and old:
Chip: “I learn so much about order and structure and processes through my wife, and God is all of those things to me now. At the beginning God was just chaotic to me. He was wild, He was untamed, He was unruly, and I like that.”
Jo: “God has a funny way of bringing me Chip. To almost have this reality of how it’s like to follow Christ, which is, a lot of the things are just going to push you into a place of discomfort, a lot of the things are just going to push you into a place of freaking out, it takes someone (like Chip) to get it out there.. I don’t want to be in a box anymore. I don’t want to play it safe. Because the greater impact is over here on the other side. I was made for a reason and I need to let whatever God has created me for, that has to be known. I don’t want to stay hidden.”
Pretty awesome when you find out that these two are not just your ordinary reality TV celebrities. ;)
4. When God closes a door, it doesn’t mean that the door will remain close forever.
Joanna talked about the time when she had to close her boutique home décor shop in 2006 when they had their second baby. She said, at the time it felt like God was locking away her dreams just when it was finally taking off.
On a personal note, this is probably my most favorite chapter in the book.
These paragraphs would tell you why:
“I truly loved everything about the shop, but the voice just kept telling me, Jo, it’s time. I wrestled with it for weeks until finally I felt it in my heart. I thought about the words of all those women who were in my shop every day, telling me to cherish this time with my child.
And as much as I didn’t want it to be true, I could no longer deny that the voice was right.
. . .
In March 2006, we sold off everything—the inventory, the displays, even the cash register. And it was hard. That shop was my dream, a dream that landed on my yellow steno pad after I came back from my eye-opening internship in New York City. It was the first dream of mine that I’d seen come to fruition, and in many ways it was like our first baby.
. . .
The shop was more to me than an accomplishment or even the fulfillment of a dream. It was something Chip and I had dreamed and accomplished together. From scratch. It wasn’t his business that I added to, or my business that he added to. It was ours.
. . .
I will remember ’til the day I die the moment I stood on the front steps and locked that shop door for the last time as tears rolled down my face. Even as I stood on those steps, trying to say good-bye, I kept asking God, “Are you sure this is the right move? If it is, why does it seem so painful and hard?”
That’s when I heard that gentle whisper, Joanna, if you trust me with your dreams, I’ll take them further than you could have ever imagined.
. . .
I felt good about having made the decision to walk away and lock that door. It’s funny, though, looking back on it now, because one very simple concept in life never occurred to me as I was walking away:
Even locked doors can be unlocked in time.
I simply never could have imagined just how much God had in store for us, and I certainly couldn’t have dreamed just how many keys to other doors God had already placed in our hands.”
Do you sometimes read other people’s stories and wonder how your own story looks like? This chapter made me reminisce my own closed doors and how God opened new doors that ultimately lead me where He needed me to be.
But I also had some of what Joanna had. Doors that had to be closed for a little while, keys stored in God’s care, just waiting for the perfect time to be unlocked.
It’s always a beautiful moment when you realize that God didn’t really mean to say NO, He just wanted you to wait a little bit longer. Because what He has for you is so much greater than the dream you entrusted to His care. And all it makes you think in the end is, “well played, God, well played!”
This book is, thumbs up, one of the best reads I had this year. (I’ve been reading this year, yes!) And pretty relevant too as I go about my own pursuits.
If you’re a creative entrepreneur and you’re living under a rock and didn’t know who the Gaines are, I think you’ll like this book very much.
Buy The Magnolia Story Book
The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together.
From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.
This book is perfect for creatives, aspiring entrepreneurs, home makers, and husbands, and wives.
Trivia: Do you know that Joanna Gaines was discovered by HGTV through a mommy blog that featured a tour of their house? Yep.
Blogs truly have the power to give you the right exposure, to grow a business, or to establish a platform. If you’re thinking about blogging, check out my blogging resource library HERE.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
I get asked this question all the time, and understandably so. These days, working from home is no longer an exception to the rule but a realistic and viable option, you just have to know where to find opportunities and how to set yourself up for it.
If you’re thinking about quitting your office-based job and starting a location-independent career, there are several pathways that you can pursue:
1. Start your own business
This option is the riskiest one and usually requires longer financial planning and preparation. You might want to try out your business idea as a side-hustle first to see if it will take off.
You also want to have at least 6-months worth of salary saved up before taking the leap because you can go on for months of hard work without seeing any profit.
Still, given the risks, this option is the one where you can really be your own boss and work at your own terms.
Be a full-time blogger
Let’s consider this one a subset of starting a business. A blog, after all, should be treated as a business if you want it to replace your full-time income.
Like a business, there’s a lot of work to be done before you start seeing profit, especially if your blog is new. If your goal is to become a full-time blogger, check out some of my recent posts about this topic:
There’s a lot of freedom and flexibility when you’re offering services as a freelancer, but there are also limits in terms of calling the shots and being your own boss.
As a freelancer, you’re somehow at the mercy of your clients, which means you’re technically working for multiple bosses at a time. Income may be irregular, but if you work double-time, you can possibly earn double too.
3. Get a remote job
If you’re not keen to start a business or offer freelance services, applying for a remote job is an increasingly popular option.
Some of the most common remote jobs are Virtual Assistants, Graphic Designers, Digital Marketers, Social Media Managers, Customer Support Specialists—basically anything that can be done in the “cloud”.
A remote job is something you can aim for without putting too much risk on your career or savings. You’ll still likely be bound by a 9-5 schedule and a fixed rate, which is desirable if you’re the type who likes the comfort of a routine and the security of a monthly salary.
My husband and I experienced doing all of the above in the past decade, and today I’d like to share important lessons from our own journey.
My story: How I established a career I love, from home
I was 25 when I first left my corporate job to grab an opportunity to work remotely.
I loved the corporate job I gave up, by the way, but I loved the idea of exploring the unknown more. Especially at that time when I was young and had some space in my life to test the waters.
I had big dreams to travel and to try out entrepreneurship—two things I couldn’t do as much as I wanted because of the demands of my office-based work. It took a lot of courage to leave behind a secured job and a promising corporate path but there’s no denying the restlessness that was building up in my heart.
Fun fact: It was actually what my former boss said that inspired me to register this domain name 9 years ago. On that day I told him I was filing my resignation, he said (and I remember that moment quite vividly), “I don’t want to get in the way of chasing dreams so, okay.”
I thanked him, filed my 30-day notice, said goodbye to that chapter of my life, and never looked back. Hence the beginning of my location-independent career.
(Also the beginning of Chasingdreams.net.)
Throwback to the time I lived in New York City for two months where I took my remote job with me.
So here’s another thing about me: I LOVE working, you guys. I do miss the 9-to-5 grind, all the brainstorming sessions, the random pizza parties, picking my boss’s brain, meeting deadlines. Call me weird but I even enjoyed getting dressed in pin-striped slacks, putting on my heels, and stepping into my office cubicle.
In fact, as I said before, I sometimes feel like I’m more confident at having a career than I am being a mother!
So even as I have experienced the freedom and benefits of working remotely, the thought of going back to corporate life was not far from my mind.
Two years after I took that remote job—back home from traveling and getting hitched *cough*—I knew that my husband and I were going to settle down in Manila for a while so I found myself in an office cubicle again.
This second attempt at an office-based job didn’t last long. After about a year re-joining the corporate workforce, I birthed twins and had to take an indefinite maternity break.
Life was never the same since. Suddenly, landing a remote job is not anymore an option but a necessity.
I needed a job I could do in front of our twins’ crib. Something I could do without having to change out of my pajamas in the morning (because I probably didn’t sleep the night before) and in between breastfeeding twins.
Good thing for me, because of my digital marketing background (which is a big thing when finding remote work), it didn’t take a while to find a startup company who was willing to take me in even with my unique circumstances.
Surely God had it all planned out from the beginning.
And the plot thickens. On my husband’s last year at nursing school, he signed up for a remote job himself. He applied for a Virtual Assistant position and got the role easily, even though he didn’t have any previous experience as a VA.
PRO TIP: You don’t need years of experience to start applying for remote jobs. ;)
For about a year, both my husband and I would work side-by-side on our dining table, our daughters’ playpen within arms reach.
And while all of these were happening, we also started a few small businesses (a story for another time) and launched passion projects.
I know. We’ve been soooo busy! :)
But looking back, we know we’re only able to do all of these because we didn’t have to leave home, which gave us about 3-4 extra hours we didn’t have to spend on commute or traffic.
Eventually, when my husband completed his nursing licensure, he let go of his remote job to practice nursing.
As for me, this year would be my 5th year (7th, if you count those pre-motherhood years) working remotely and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As a mother, nothing beats knowing I could help provide for and raise my family, without sacrificing this career that I happen to love.
Surely when the kids are older, busy with school and their own sets of friends, I’d like very much to keep practicing my profession. And having a home-based job that allows me to keep up with the trends and continue gaining experience offers so many immediate and long-term benefits.
Benefits of working from home
As I already mentioned, having a remote job allowed me to travel and take my work with me. When I was younger, that opportunity was more than anything I could have hoped for or imagined.
As a mother, I’m grateful that I can do my job without missing out on my children’s growth. Although of course, you’d need a lot of help (like a babysitter or a grandmother—thanks, Mom!—who looks after your kids while you work), there’s nothing compared to being just in the next room from where your kids are playing or taking a nap.
Consider all the hours you would have wasted on traffic and commute—convert those extra hours to work on a side-hustle, hone your skills, or focus on self-care.
Count all the expenses you would have spent on fast food, work clothes, and transportation—convert that extra money to invest in a creative business or a family trip.
Pin for later
Transitioning from an office-based job to a work-at-home lifestyle may be a bit of a process, but totally doable. The first thing to do is to consider which work-at-home situation you want to pursue. Do you want to pursue a business, become a freelancer, or apply for a remote job?
How to transition to a work-from-home lifestyle
Preparations vary depending on the path you want to take, but here are some general tips that are applicable across the board:
1. Get up to speed with the trends and best practices
You don’t have to forge your own path or reinvent the wheel so to speak. Working from home is not a new discovery, thousands of people are already doing it successfully. You just have to take it from them and learn from their successes and mistakes.
There are many free resources available online, and if you’re the type who likes to dig into Google and find the hidden gems, then by all means! As a fair warning, however, you will encounter numerous fake job postings and scams online so you want to be very careful about your search.
This is why I would also recommend investing in premium resources when you can. There’s so much ground to cover, to be honest! 9 years ago I had to navigate this space without that much help!
This Work from Home Bundle, is a limited edition toolkit that includes work-at-home resources and ebooks that will help prepare you for that work-at-home lifestyle.
I personally bought the bundle for myself even though I’ve been working remotely for 7 years. I find that continuous education is necessary to stay creative and inspired.
Work-at-home opportunities are largely dependent on technology and the internet. Naturally so, since it is through the internet that we’re able to work remotely.
That said, whether you want to apply for a remote job, start your own online business, or advance your career, you need to keep on gaining new creative and technical skills to complement your existing ones.
Say, if you’re a writer, you can learn other forms of content creation skills like photography, graphic design or social media.
If you’re a graphic designer, you might want to add website design and development to your skillset.
If you’re a website developer, you’d want to learn new programming languages, analytics, or user experience.
If you’re a customer support expert, you might want to consider learning virtual assistance or project management too.
And so on.
3. Launch a blog or a website
A website is a necessity, whether you’re selling products, offering your services, or applying for a remote job. Having an updated and a healthy online presence is always a good way to attract buyers, partners, or employers.
For the past 7 years, my job comes with the occasional responsibility of scouting and hiring writers and digital marketing professionals. Guess what’s the first thing I look for when I have a pile of CVs on my desk?
Yep. I check if the applicants have blogs.
For me, more often than not, a blog speaks louder than a CV.
One time I hired a travel blogger for a Content Strategist position. Countless times, I’ve hired mommy bloggers to do freelance writing for a wide range of blog topics and niches.
I, myself, use my website as a portfolio—my best case study. Every now and then when a potential client or employer asks me to show sample work, I only have to send them a link to this website. #hacks ;)
Regardless of the industry, a blog is a way for employers to assess not only your thought leadership and communication skills, but also your discipline, creativity, and personality. Believe it or not, these come handy when deciding which candidate is the best one for a position.
There’s just so much to cover about this topic, but I’ll cut this here.
If you want to ask me anything, hit me up with your questions in the comments below or subscribe to my mailing list to get updates.
Not sure who loves Moana more, me or my daughters.
As someone who grew up with my favorite Disney princesses, I’m glad that Disney continues to craft interesting and culturally specific characters that kids these days can enjoy and learn from!
Disney’s fairy tale formula has evolved a lot since the Sleeping Beauty era. And yet somehow, they’re able to preserve everything we love about Disney animated films—the timeless storytelling, the songs we love singing along to for years to come, the humor, the moral lessons, and (my favorite) the fact that they don’t water down the importance of family in the chase of one’s dreams.
Raising daughters, I’m always appreciative of fun ways to introduce these ever-important values to Dawn and Rain.
I mean, little girls are complex creatures, you guys! Haha. >.<
Seriously though, to raise them well in this time where self-image and equality and diversity (among other things) are on the spotlight, the role of the family in their formative years is not to be taken lightly.
And it sure does come handy when a relatable and likable animated character such as Moana is created to embody these family-centric values we wish to impart to our daughters.
Moana is not your ordinary Disney princess.
She’s brave and unafraid of the unknown. Her family raised her well, so when it was time for her to leave her safe and warm comfort zone, she was ready to go out there to courageously fulfill what she was raised to do.
She didn’t let setbacks and failures stop her from trying again until she made it. She had to face a lot of challenges but she pushed herself to keep trying, with her family as her guide and inspiration.
Everything that Moana was is because of her family’s influence on her—and her love for them.
She didn’t need a prince charming to have a complete and inspiring story. I can already imagine my husband using this argument when it’s time to talk about crushes and boyfriends with our daughters, haha! Unlike other fairy tales, this one did not lack anything by not having a prince charming. The only love story here was the love she had for her family and her people.
She loved and respected her family, even when she had to go against her parent’s wishes at some point. For (sons and) daughters, Moana showed all of us how to “break” rules and expectations with love and respect. For parents of young kids, Moana’s story reminds us to love and support our children in whatever skills, calling, and dreams they have now and in the future.
I know Dawn and Rain will have to blaze their own trails someday (someday okay, kids? Not yet okay??), so I’m reminding myself to trust in how we’ve raised them to be independent and courageous enough to make the right choices.
Wellllll that escalated so quickly. O.O
So before this gets more intense and I start #uglycrying my way through the rest of this post, haha, let’s end this one in a fun note, shall we??
The reason why we’re talking about Moana now is because a new Moana live show is coming to Disneyland Hongkong, and we’re so excited to be sharing the news with y’all!
Read on some highlights of the press release below:
“Moana: A Homecoming Celebration” at Hongkong Disneyland
This special live show is part of Hongkong Disneyland Resorts’ Carnivale of Stars, and is the first attraction at the resort’s ongoing multi-year expansion.
Moana invites families and kids to join her 20-minute live show rich with inspirational music, dance, puppetry and immersive storytelling.. and then meet her for photos and hugs later. You can also buy souvenir Moana food and beverage, dolls and merch like the ones Dawn and Rain are holding in these photos.
Catch “Moana: A Homecoming Celebration” this summer at the Hongkong Disneyland Resort! For more details, check out this website here. ;)
Oh, and check out also this fun vlog of Dawn and Rain with their Moana and Pua dolls!
We just launched a Youtube channel for Dawn and Rain, and since they love their Moana dolls so much we thought to feature it for their first video. :) Still getting the hang of this thing but go check it out and subscribe!
And watch to the end to see the premiere of Moana: A Homecoming Celebration ;)
This story is written for HK Disneyland Resorts’ Carnivale of Stars. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Hello from the ChasingDreams.net headquarters, and by “headquarters” I mean ourbed. I mean, isn’t that where dreams happen? Lol.
Kidding! Well, not kidding. I am literally on our bed as I type this, wearing the usual pajamas. I wish I could say I was writing this from a hotel suite in a posh city somewhere or on a secluded island with an Instagram-worthy view. Uhm, NOT! :)
The reality is, I am working 50 hours a week while helping out with our small businessandraising 5-year old twin girls at the same time. Just keeping it real guys, there really ain’t much time left to go anywhere, to be honest.
That said, this is going to be one of those update posts that is not optimized for your reading convenience, lol, so thank you in advance for giving me and my run-on sentences your kind consideration. ;)
First, life updates!
Sometime last year, my husband and I decided to let go of our apartment (and about 80% of the stuff we acquired over the past 6 years) to move back home and live with my Mom. We’ve outgrown our old place, not to mention, we couldn’t take anymore the fact that we’re spending so much rent money on a space that will never be ours, in a city that has lost its charm by our standards.
Naturally, we were aware that there were empty rooms in my Mom’s place, the same ol’ house that my brothers and I grew up in. The twins always looked forward to staying at “Lola’s house”, plus they love that they have more space to run and that the ref is always fully stocked—I mean, priorities, y’all. I won’t deny. To our 5 year old girls, being here at Lola’s is a major life upgrade.
As for me, the girl who moved out when she turned 21 years old, being back home now, at 35, with my husband and two kids, is something that feels comfortable and humbling and strange all at the same time. There were a lot of thoughts (and feelings) that went into this decision but looking back now—and considering the goals we’ve laid out for the next 2-3 years—being here has been good for us.
Five years ago I never would have imagined this scenario; but now, it gives me a great deal of peace (and a little nostalgia at times) to see Dawn & Rain experience the same humble childhood I had. To grow up in Lola’s care. To wake up to birds chirping by our bedroom window. To experience childhood in this place firsthand and not just hear about it from their mother’s folk tales. I just know that years down the line we’ll look back and remember this season with profound gratitude and fondness.
Other than this major thing, everything I wrote here still applies.
In retrospect, we’ve become really good at living with whatever fits our suitcases, unpacking, and setting up camp wherever God places us until it’s time to pack up again. There’s much to be said about what God has been oh-so-patiently teaching us in this season, but I’ll reserve that for another post.
Second, blog updates!
If you’ve been watching this space (because yes I am fully aware that I dared some of you to, ehem, watch this space), why thank you fam! :)
But if you’re really really watching this space, you probably saw various website changes over the past couple of months. I’ve been hard at work at setting this space up to have room for both life stories and the geeky resource stuff, which has to be translated in the website design, first and foremost.
One thing I realized during my blog downtime is how much I love creating content, which may sound weird because you hardly saw any content published here for a long time. (I’ve been keeping everything under wraps until the website is ready.)
If you’re here for the first time, I thought you should know that I’m a survivor product of the “dear diary” blogosphere era while also being a proponent of modern day blogging. On one hand, I miss the times when blogging was about writing stories (oversharing!) and being totally random online. On the other hand, I also know how blogging should be strategic, and purposeful, and sometimes without the unnecessary fluff if you want it to be profitable.
ChasingDreams.net for so long may be categorized under the lifestyle blog umbrella, this space being where I share stories about my life as a wife, a mother, a creative, and occasional traveler.
But outside of this space, I have published countless articles on highly technical topics like Digital Marketing, SEO, Content Creation, Social Media, Email Marketing—don’t you fall asleep on me now, this is important!! >.< Admittedly, these topics have also become a huge part of my career, my life, and dare I say, my passions.
I had to make room for both, without making this space too cluttered and the topics too broad. Readership wise, I know some of the readers of the original Chasing Dreams may not be interested in digital marketing, and vice versa.
That being said, I do see where chasing dreams and digital strategy overlap. The former being the way of life, and the latter as one way to achieve it.
After all, we do live in an era (oh what a time to be alive!) where the first step to chasing dreams can be as simple as launching a website or starting a blog.
Lastly, the role of blogging in chasing dreams
This blog was an important tool that got me through my life’s changing seasons—still is! It serves as a creative outlet where I tell stories and document milestones, while also being the hub where I showcase my work, offer my services, and gain unique income-generating opportunities.
Through this blog, my career adjusted to my seasons in life, not the other way around. It allowed me the flexibility to travel when I was younger, and gave me unique opportunities to work from home when I needed to raise babies.
In other words, this blog has become a channel, a tool, a hub, that allowed me to chase my dreams.
And now I want to teach YOU how to do the same, and I dedicate an entire section of this website to do just that!
If you want to learn the process of starting a blog, creating content, growing your readership, and turning your blog into a profitable channel, then the Bloggers’ Hub is for you! See you there!
If you’re here because you’ve been following my journey from Day 1, or if you want to see more of Dawn & Rain who seem to be growing their own loyal fanbase, lol, then we’re back to regular programming around here. Thanks guys for sticking around! :)
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Life was never the same since. Suddenly, landing a remote job is not anymore an option but a necessity.
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